


Ace of Hearts

by itspseudonymousme



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Draco Malfoy - Freeform, DracoxHermione, F/M, HP - Freeform, Harry Potter - Freeform, HarryPotter - Freeform, Mudblood, Ron - Freeform, ginny weasley - Freeform, hermione granger - Freeform, hermionexdraco, ron weasley - Freeform, weasley - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-07 23:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21226349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itspseudonymousme/pseuds/itspseudonymousme
Summary: and youyou were worth the wait-o.l.I didn't want to fall in loveor need someoneI really didn't want anythingBut then, you appeared.And I started wanting everything.





	1. One

I just don't want to be the devil, you know

It hurts the most when you come too close

-don't get me wrong//lewis capaldi

**********

"Don't pretend like it didn't mean anything to you. I was there. I saw the way you looked at me."

"Ron, I asked you to leave." Hermione spoke calmly, although tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"And I told you I wasn't going to. You're mine, and nothing can change that." He took another step towards her and grabbed her wrist, like he'd done so many times before. Hermione tried to wrench herself from his grasp, curling into a ball to protect herself. 

"Whatever. Be a coward. I know you love me, Hermione. You'll never be able to stop loving me."

"Maybe," she whispered, looking up at him. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to get over you. Maybe one day I can realize I should have left you a long time ago. Maybe you'll realize just what you've done. I hope you do. I hope you realize your mistakes and you're sorry for them."

His grip on her went slack, and she took the opportunity to grab her wand from her desk.

"I think it's time I let you go. And that's so hard to do, because I think that some part of me will be in love with you for the rest of my life. I won't ever forget you and maybe that's the only forever that you and I were meant to have. But this, and our relationship that I tried to end before, it's not healthy. So this is me doing what I should have done months ago. This is me saying goodbye."

And with that, she apparated away.

**********

Hermione arrived at Harry and Ginny's front door, barely managing to knock on the door that was opened by Ginny. 

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Although not sobbing, Hermione was shaking badly.

"Can I come in?"

"Well of course. Harry's not home, and I was just getting ready to go to Diagon Alley to do some shopping, but it can wait." Hermione took a seat on the couch, her grip on her wand not lessening.

"Would you like some tea, or-"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"What do you need me to do about it?" Hermione sighed. Ginny knew her so well. 

"I need somewhere to stay, but I don't know how long. Until I find a different flat to stay in."

"I'm sure Harry would be perfectly fine with you staying here with us! You're welcome anytime, you know."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "I don't want to intrude, especially with you expecting and all-" Ginny waved her hand as to cut Hermione off. 

"The baby isn't due for another five months. You won't be intruding one bit. But do you mind me asking why?" 

Hermione sighed and pointed her wand at herself, performing a non-verbal spell. The concealing charm melted away, showing the bruises on her wrists and her face. Ginny gasped. 

"Hermione, who did this to you?" 

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. 

"Tell me."

"I can't. You'd hate me."

"'Mione, I could never hate you. You're my best friend, my sister."

Hermione looked away from her. "Ron," she said, barely audible.

"Come again?"

"Ron did this to me," she stated again, this time a bit louder. Confusion crossed Ginny's face.

"I don't understand. I thought you two were still together? Surely he wouldn't have been doing this to you-"

"He was, Ginny! It's been going on for months. I tried to break it off with him a couple weeks ago, but he kept coming back."

"Merlin, Hermione, I'm sorr-"

"Don't say it," Hermione said. "I don't want your pity, Ginny. I just want your friendship."

"You'll always have that, of course. Don't you ever doubt otherwise." 

Hermione let out a sigh, as if a burden had just been lifted off her chest. "He came to my flat today, and he might still be there. I don't want to go back and get my things that I need."

"I'll send Harry when he gets home-oh, here he is now!" Harry flooed into the fireplace, and came out coughing.

"Stupid smoke, always- Hermione! This is a pleasant surprise. What happened to your face?"

That was the breaking point for Hermione. She broke down into sobs. Ginny glared at Harry, then pulled him into the other room. They emerged after a few minutes, and Harry walked out the door to apparate. 

"Harry's going to get your stuff. I told him everything."

"Thanks, Gin." 

"You're welcome. Now, I've had the notion that you don't wish to come shopping with me, so you can make yourself at home. I'll be back soon, and so will Harry. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

***********


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't leave because I stopped loving you
> 
> I left because the longer I stayed 
> 
> The less I loved myself
> 
> //rupi kaur

"So he wasn't there when you went back for her things?" Ginny whispered, trying not to wake Hermione up as she was fast asleep on the sofa. 

Harry shook his head. "No sign of him. If he'd been there, I would have nearly killed him."

"Harry, I know that Hermione is like a sister to you, but Ron's your best mate. And my brother."

"So what, you don't think he deserves to be punished?" Harry retorted, raising his voice slightly. "You don't think that he hurt her worse than she's ever been before, and broken her completely?"

"On the contrary!" Ginny replied. "I think he deserves to get what is coming to him, but I don't think we should kill him, even if it just nearly kill him. Mum would murder you if you did."

Harry chuckled. "The Boy Who Lived, killed by his mother-in-law for hurting his wife's brother."

Ginny laughed as well. "Okay, maybe not murder you, but she may very well disown you."

"And you don't think she's going to disown Ron for doing this to Hermione? She loves her like her own daughter, you know." 

"I think she'll take care of him. You know how Mum gets."

The conversation between the two quickly ended as Hermione let out a bloodcurdling scream. 

"No! I told you no! Stay away from me!"

"Hermione, wake up!" Ginny shook her friend gently. 

Hermione sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, with fear in her eyes. 

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked concernedly.

"Fine." Hermione pulled herself off the couch and began to walk towards the staircase.

"Hermione, you can stay down here and talk with us, you know."

"It's okay, Gin. I'm going to go lay down upstairs."

"Would you like a Dreamless Sleeping Draught?" Harry offered. "We have plenty."

Hermione shook her head, knowing it wouldn't help. "Thanks anyways."

"Well, if you ever need one, you know where to find them," Harry replied, shrugging.

Hermione reached the top of the stairs and headed down the hallway towards the guest room, which was to be her bedroom. Harry and Ginny had decorated their house wonderfully. The walls were painted a light gray color that had a bit of a silvery look to it, and the trim was pure white. The walls were lined with moving photographs. Hermione stopped at one that showed her, Ron, and Harry having a snowball fight in third year. In the photo, she had thrown a snowball that hit Ron square in the face. All three members of the Golden Trio were laughing, and Ron ran at Hermione with a handful of snow, shoving it into her face. 

Suddenly, she became angry with the photo. She tore the frame from the wall, and replaced it with the picture facing inwards, unable to be seen. There. No more of that. Her eyes filled with tears, and she ran to her room, throwing herself onto the bed. Her body was wracking with sobs. She wept the longest she had ever wept in a very long time. She cried for Ron, she cried for her lost love, she cried for what he had done to her. 

But most of all, she cried for herself. 

**********

"D'you think we should go check on 'Mione?" Harry asked Ginny, who was taking dinner out of the oven. 

"No." Ginny shook her head. "We need to leave her alone for awhile. We shouldn't ignore her, by any means, and we should make every point to invite her along when we go places and ask if she wants to talk about it. But she'll come when she's ready. And she'll talk about it when she's ready."

"You understand her better than I do. Whatever you think is best, love." 

Ginny smiled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck. 

"I still can't believe we're going to have a baby in just five months," he whispered. 

"I can," Ginny said, and pressed her lips to his. There was suddenly a clearing of a throat, and they quickly broke apart. 

"I smelled dinner," Hermione said. Her eyes were red and swollen. 

"I made Shepherd's pie," Ginny stated. "Would you like some?"

"Yes, please, Ginny. I daresay your cooking is almost as good as your mum's."

Hermione took her plate from her friend and sat at the table. "What did I tell you, Gin? It's delicious."

"Thanks, 'Mione. Mum used to make this a lot because it was George and Ron's favorite."

Hermione's stomach dropped, and suddenly she didn't want to eat anymore. 

"I think I'm full." She pushed her plate back and stood up. 

"But Hermione, you barely ate anything!" Harry protested. 

She looked at him. "I said I was full." With that, she retreated back up the stairs. 

Ginny sighed. "It's because I said it was Ron's favorite dish. We've got to be careful what we say around her."

"I just don't understand it." Harry said, confused.

"Neither do I, but neither of us has ever been in her position before," Ginny replied. "I also need to remove all the pictures of Ron from upstairs, because I think those set her off too. I found one that was turned against the wall."

"I guess we just need to give her our love right now."

"I guess so."

**********


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is broken
> 
> They just like to pretend that they're not
> 
> It's like a mask no one is willing to take off
> 
> //excerpt from a book I'll never write #15

*One Week Later*

"I think you need to get a job, mate," Blaise informed Draco. 

Draco scoffed. "I'm the Malfoy heir. Why would I need a job?"

Blaise shrugged. "You need something to do besides sit around here all day. Besides, I think Astoria and I are going to move out and get our own flat soon. Then where will you be without us?"

Draco rolled his eyes. Blaise Zabini and Astoria Greengrass had been dating ever since Blaise saved her life the day of the Battle of Hogwarts. 

"Besides," Blaise continued. "With your dad in Azkaban and everything, you need something to redeem the Malfoy name. What better than to get a job at the Ministry of Magic?"

"Oh, yes, the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure they'd be plenty happy to hire Draco Malfoy, the former Death Eater who let the son of a deranged man who was given the Dementor's Kiss and thrown in Azkaban."

"Just go see," Blaise pleaded. 

"Fine. But no way will I work with any goblins, or elves. I refuse."

"I just want you to go see what's available. Today."

"But Blaise-" Draco's whining was cut off by Astoria. 

"He's right," she chimed in. 

"See?" Blaise smirked. "I'm right."

Draco rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Fine."

"Wow, Malfoy. So mature."

**********

Draco arrived at the Ministry through the Floo Network, coughing as he emerged from the fireplace that was flashing green. 

Following the signs, he took the elevator to the second level, where the Department of Employment was located. 

"Name?" The receptionist asked when he came to the front of the line. 

"Draco Malfoy." The whispering that had been going on since he arrived only increased in volume. 

"Malfoy-"

"Azkaban-"

"Voldemort-"

"Death Eater-"

"Pureblood scum-"

He looked around angrily, and the whispering died down again. 

"State your department of application?"

"Shoot." He hadn't thought about what department to apply for. He looked down, where the list of available jobs was located. 

"There isn't a department of Shoot, Mr. Malfoy."

"I know that. Give me a second." His eyes scanned the list. Department for Elfish Welfare? No. Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? No. Department for Magical Law Enforcement? Lord knows he wouldn't be welcome there. Department of International Magical Cooperation? Not something he was very interested in, but it would have to do. It was the last on the list, and better than anything else. 

"International Magical Cooperation."

The receptionist finished writing with her quill, and handed him a slip of paper. "Your interview will be in ten minutes sharp. Two floors down, second left and first door on the right."

Malfoy left without saying thank you. Malfoys didn't have those kinds of manners for anyone other than themselves. 

He got on the elevator and tried to click the button to travel two floors down. He successfully descended one floor, but the elevator jerked to a stop and the doors opened again. Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the elevator and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. 

"Floor?" Draco asked, his hand reaching to click the button the Minister needed. 

"Pardon?"

"What floor are you going to?" Draco sounded irritated. And he was.

"Same as you."

"Oh."

The doors opened, and both men exited the door. Draco passed one hallway and took a left at the second. He looked up, searching for the first door on the right. 

He was met with a sight he didn't think he'd have to see since he graduated. 

"Granger?"

"Malfoy?!" Hermione broke her hug with Harry, surprised to see Malfoy in the Ministry of Magic. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you on a romantic date, obviously," Draco's statement was dripping with sarcasm. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that wouldn't happen in a million years. Probably more than that."

Draco scoffed. "I'm applying for a job. What are you doing here? I figured you'd have enough of Potty's money in your Gringotts vault that you'd be able to live off of it instead of working."

"I work here, Malfoy."

"I gathered that much. I'll be on my way if you can tell me where to find the Head of International Magical Cooperation."

Hermione gaped at him. "You can't be serious."

"Dead."

Harry cut in. "Hermione, I'm going to be on my way as long as you think you're okay here."

"I'll be fine. See you at home, Harry."

Harry exited the hallway, and Hermione turned back to Malfoy. 

"So what, you and Potter are dating now? What happened to the Weasel King?"

"Harry and Ginny are married, if you didn't know. And don't speak of Ron."

"Granger, I'll leave you be if you would just for Merlins' sakes tell me where to find the Head of-"

"I heard you the first time," Hermione said dryly. She opened the door behind her. "You can come in my office."

"Granger, I'm not looking for you-"

"Actually, you are. I'm the Head of the department."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead."

**********


	4. Fou

*That Morning*

"I've decided to go back to work today," Hermione announced at breakfast. 

"That's wonderful, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. 

As the head of Department of International Cooperation, Hermione was essentially the wizard version of the Muggle's foreign secretary. However, she had taken a week away from work to recuperate from the most recent, and hopefully final, instance of Ron's abuse. 

"Harry, would you mind traveling with me this morning? I know you have to be there early because of your meeting with the other Aurors, but I'll go early. I probably have lots of paperwork to catch up on anyway."

"Of course, Mione. But we need to leave about now."

"Let me get my wand and briefcase, and I'll be right down." Hermione quickly ascended the stairway, retrieved her wand from the dresser and her briefcase from beside her desk. On her way back down to the kitchen, she noticed that the picture she had turned to the wall had disappeared. 

So had all the other pictures that contained Ron. 

Interesting.

**********

"Have a good day, 'Mione," Harry said as he dropped her off at her office. 

"You too, Harry," she said, hugging him. 

"Granger?!" 

Hermione's eyes shot open as she recognized the voice that was speaking her name. 

"Malfoy?!" She broke her hug with Harry, surprised to see Malfoy in the Ministry of Magic. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you on a romantic date, obviously," Malfoy's statement was dripping with sarcasm.

Hermione scoffed. "You and I both know that wouldn't happen in a million years. Probably more than that."

The blonde ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes. "I'm applying for a job. What are you doing here? I figured you'd have enough of Potty's money in your Gringotts vault that you'd be able to live off of it instead of working."

"I work here, Malfoy."

"I gathered that much. I'll be on my way if you can tell me where to find the Head of International Magical Cooperation."

Hermione stared at him, mouth agape. "You can't be serious."

"Dead."

Harry cut in. "Hermione, I'm going to be on my way as long as you think you're okay here."

"I'll be fine. See you at home, Harry."

Harry exited the hallway, and Hermione turned back to Malfoy.

"So what, you and Potter are dating now? What happened to the Weasel King?"

"Harry and Ginny are married, if you didn't know. And don't speak of Ron."

"Granger, I'll leave you be if you would just for Merlins' sakes tell me where to find the Head of-"

"I heard you the first time," Hermione said dryly. She opened the door behind her. "You can come in my office."

"Granger, I'm not looking for your-"

"Actually, you are. I'm the Head of the department."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead."

**********

"Tea?" Hermione offered. 

"Thanks, no," Malfoy said. "I prefer coffee. Black."

"Of course you do."

"How long have you been working here, Granger?"

Hermione was surprised that Malfoy was being so civil, especially to her, the filthy Mudblood that she was. 

"Malfoy, I don't have time for small talk. Cut to the chase. What do you need me for?"

The man gave her one of his signature Malfoy smirks, and looked her up and down. "I could need you for a lot of things, Granger."

Hermione gasped. "Completely inappropriate, Malfoy," she said angrily. "Besides, what would you want from a filthy Mudblood anyway?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "Don't use that word."

Hermione laughed. "Like it means anything to you," she scoffed. "You used to use it all the time when-"

"I said don't use it!" Malfoy's voice was at a shouting level now. Hermione flinched. 

"Sorry," he muttered. 

She just raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was acting so different. 

"I came here to apply for a job, Granger."

"A job? But I don't think we have any positions open."

"Then why was there a listing for it?"

"I don't-" She stopped, remembering what had happened two weeks ago. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

*Two weeks ago*

"Hermione," greeted the Minister.

"Kingsley," she replied with a smile, nodding her head. "What can I do for you?"

"You're doing so much work, Hermione. Too much for you. I think you need to think about hiring an assistant."

"Minister, I can handle all this-"

"Even I can see that you're the most tired you've ever been. Please consider it."

Hermione sighed. She really enjoyed working alone, but if the Minister thought it best, then it probably was for the best.

"Can you put the listing out for me, Minister?"

"Of course, Hermione," Kingsley replied, smiling.

*present*

"Sorry," Hermione said, as she had spaced off for a second or two. 

"So is there a job or not?" Malfoy asked impatiently. 

"Yes, there is a job available, but I don't know if you want to take it."

"Ridiculous. Count me in.

"I don't do the hiring, Malfoy. The Minister has the final say in who gets to work here. I'll make sure your application gets submitted. Once it's submitted, though, you can't take it back."

"That's fine, go ahead and send it."

Hermione wrote down a few things on a piece of parchment, then rolled it up and placed it in a slot in the wall. It disappeared a few seconds later. 

"Goes straight to the Minister's office," she explained to a very confused Malfoy. "He'll owl you to let you know if you got the job by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Granger."

"A Malfoy pureblood, thanking a mud-" Hermione began to question him.

"Don't say it."

"Sorry."

"A Gryffindor, apologizing to a Slytherin Death-"

"Don't say that, either," Hermione quickly cut him off. 

"Right." 

"See you around, Malfoy."

"See you, Granger." Malfoy turned to walk out the door. "Oh, by the way, what position did I just apply for?"

"My personal assistant."

**********


End file.
